As One Door Closes
by MsZola
Summary: She doesn't belong back in Mystic Falls, not after that night. Caroline does what any girl would do. She leaves. And there's only one place she thinks to go. The one place she thinks she will feel right at home. But, as any good story goes, she was wrong. {sometime after TVD 5x11}


"You can _do_ this Caroline" she took deep breaths "now is _not _the time to chicken out. It's now or never" she gulped as she raised her hand to the door, hesitant, "Omg get a grip!" she shouted at herself, shaking her head.

She didn't know why she was so nervous.

Well she did but she didn't want to admit it to herself.

Her whole Caroline facade sometimes lived in the world of denial and to be honest she liked it that way. Things were 100% less confusing.

She stared at the large old doors in front of her. She didn't even know this place existed but here she was. It only took like a 12 hour drive from Mystic Falls but now she was actually here, things didn't look as hopeful as they did 12 hours ago.

Before she could even convince herself to knock, the door swung open.

"Caroline" he smiled at her "I thought it might be you"

She bit her bottom lip as she stared up at his chiselled jaw. He always did look so sophisticated which made her constantly look like she just racked up in her sweatpants.

Her mind wandered back to his words and she questioned them.

"Were you _expecting_ me?"

"No, I just heard you shouting at yourself from inside" she tried not to blush which wasn't hard being a cold blooded creature.

The longer the two stood outside staring at each other and conversing in idle small talk, the more her heart pounded as it remembered her sole purpose for turning up to New Orleans.

"Elijah, is Klaus here?" he continued to smile, like he knew something she didn't but of course he didn't know or did he?

"He's just upstairs. Shall I show you the way?" she shook her head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she slipped past him.

She would find the way herself.

She needed the time to gather her thoughts and figured out what she was going to say to him. Most of it would be centred around _that night_ but it wasn't exactly a conversation starter. But then again, the whole fact she was in New Orleans would have probably be the main topic of conversation.

Question was, why _was_ she here?

The fact was, she didn't belong back in Mystic Falls. There was nothing there for her anymore.

Tyler basically abandoned her, leaving her heart shattered into a million pieces. Maybe it was her fault or maybe he just overreacted. Either way she was in no mood to go into it. Stefan was all caught up in Elena business which - if she was being honest - was basically what Mystic falls was all about, Elena. It might as well have been called Elena Falls because everything there evolved around her and nothing but her. Like she said, there was _nothing_ there for her anymore.

She was just a lone ranger, left with her thoughts. And all she could think about these days was, well that sinful moment which she thought she'd live to regret. She kind of was 'living to regret' it but it had to have meant something for her to pick her up bags and leave.

She wasn't convinced that it meant _nothing_.

Ok, so the agreement was that he would leave her alone and that _was _what she wanted but after months of realising that she was basically the third wheel of an ever deepening black hole, she wanted out.

And apparently _this _was her out.

She found herself in front of a large archway, inside led to a large lavish living room. It would have seemed the Mikaelson's were doing _pretty _well for themselves since leaving Mystic Falls. Who could blame them? Hell, she would have left years ago if she didn't care about Elena so much. Which she still did FYI. She just needed a break from all things Elena.

She could hear his voice and she followed it, where she found him standing arched over the table. He looked troubled and she wasn't sure now was a good time to approach him. She thought to turn away and come back another time but it was too late, he had seen her. Their eyes met and she gasped before she spoke.

"Klaus"

His lips parted as he stood upright, staring at her. He didn't speak as he walked a little closer to her. Was he shocked? Confused or maybe a bit of both? She couldn't tell. She could _never _read him.

"I thought we had an agreement love" they stood inches away from each other. She took in another deep breath as her eyes gazed into his.

"We did" she finally said "but I'm here to break it" his lips were curling into a smile, which she didn't want to admit she liked "well sort of"

"Oh so -"

"Stop" she interrupted him 'let me speak or I will completely forget what I was going to say and I had it all planned out and -" he wanted to laugh.

_She _made him happy

"Go on" he interrupted her this time as she stopped to smile.

"I've been thinking -" she paused "- about you -" she bit her bottom lip "- a lot" she could see his face slowly lightening up and it was ever so slightly starting to erase all the logical thoughts from her head. "Erm … so I thought I would pay you a visit" as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew he was successful in erasing her mind.

"In New Orleans?" he smiled his dimpled smile and she knew he was teasing. He was on to her and she knew it.

"I didn't come here _just _for you" she lied "I needed to get away from Mystic Falls for a while. It's gotten a bit crazy lately but not crazier than usual" he laughed as he began to pace around her

"I'm surprise the old town is still finding any kind of excitement these days, especially after those extraordinarily exciting fellows left town. What did they call them again?" he mocked a thinking pose as he pointed a finger towards her "oh yes, the originals"

"Har-di-har-har" she mocked.

To be honest, they all thought their lives would be relatively normal after the originals left but somehow, the storyline just kept getting more hectic. It was as though life didn't want to cut them any slack.

"So tell me love, if you're _not _here for me, then why _are _you here?" he ended his words as a whisper in her ear. Her body frozen as he stood in front of her.

His eyes knowing what she _really _wanted.

"Ok, so maybe you were _slightly _a bigger part of the equation then I made out_" _he nodded in an I-thought-so kind of nod.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up. I take it you got my message"

"_all _your messages" she corrected, emphasises the plural.

She paced around the room, gathering her thoughts. It was enough of this small talk, she needed to get down to business. She began walking towards him

"So you might remember a little incident in the forest not so long ago" she waved a hand nonchalantly as she rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders "I mean you probably don't remember it wasn't that -"

"I remember" he interrupted abruptly, taking her back.

_Of course he remembered_.

It was only now that she was starting to remember _all _ of what happened that night, including the things she may or may not have said. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. _Too late to back out now _she thought as she continued to walk towards him.

"Tell me Klaus" they stood cheek to cheek as she could feel him gulp. She leaned in to whisper in his ear "what did it mean for you?" she pulled her face away to look at him. They're eyes never left, his lips parted and then the drama rolled in.

"Klaus I need to … Oh Caroline?" her head spun around, leaving a gap between them as she saw her.

"Haley? What are _you _doing here?" Caroline frowned at her as she leaned against the edge of the door. "I assumed you'd gone running with the wolves" her eyes watched her. She looked different like she was glowing but yet tired. Her eyes followed her body shape, stopping at what clearly was a baby bump.

"I've been held captive, under constant baby watch" Haley chirped in, noticing Caroline's eyes on her stomach "which is what I came in to talk to Klaus about" her eyes moved to look at Klaus "am I allowed to leave the premises at _any_ point today?"

"Is _that _yours?" Caroline turned to Klaus, his eyes hesitant to meet her gaze

"Yes, _she _is_" _Haley added but Caroline never took her eyes of him.

She shook her head. It was typical, the woman that stole her love of her life was now back with vengeance to still her - as Klaus put it - last love.

Brilliant.


End file.
